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Old Wine, New Bottles

This disc by Floyd Williams & JANUS illustrates the cross fertilisation of folk/popular and jazz genres that occur in classical music. The original premise was to play early music (14th - 16th centuries) on modern instruments without regard for any historian's "purist" concerns.

This approach was also used for the songs of Leonard Cohen where they were arranged by the very talented Jonathan Henderson for a chamber music ensemble.

This was taken further by the songs being sung in a manner closer to art song or lieder. I also thought it would be interesting to juxtapose the Cohen songs with earlier songs by Machaut and Josquin in order to emphasise what they have in common as regards the concerns expressed in the texts (the pain of love, jealousy, and betrayal).

This CD is a result of a concert organised as part of the staff concert series at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in April, 2008.

Mitchell Leigh's improvisations between the old and the new serve brilliantly as a transition to each of the Cohen songs. Also, I think early music from the 14th to 16th century can sound very effective on modern instruments which preserve and honour the music's melodic and especially its rhythmic impact. This has long been a practice in the performance of J.S. Bach's music which can now be heard on anything from a grand piano to a brass quintet.

A number of works show the importance of jazz influence in the 20th century. In Khai-Wei Choong's Logic in Transit we hear a very unusual rendering of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin and Jack Strachey. This is preceded by John Stefulj and Pat Marchisella's version of the song. Their imaginative improvisation will further enhance the listener's appreciation of Choong's version for bass clarinet and piano.
Finally, we close with a dance form: Gustavo Beytelmann's Airs au tour du Tango.
- Floyd Williams, August 2009

Artists

Floyd Williams

Floyd Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Clarinet at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Brisbane. He has performed with orchestras world wide as principal and solo clarinettist and is a leading lecturer in the clarinet.

JANUS


Audio preview

Track Listing

    Benny's Gig Morton Gould

  1. slow and nostalgic
  2. brisk, with drive
  3. very slow and hesitant
  4. brisk
  5. slowly
  6. Calypso Serenade
  7. lazily moving
  8. jaunty
  9. Phyton le Mervilleus Serpent Guillaume de Machaut
  10. Famous Blue Raincoat Leonard Cohen
  11. Mille Regretz Josquin Des Prez
  12. Hallelujah Leonard Cohen

    13. Blue Jeans William Thomas McKinley

  13. Drone
  14. Vamp
  15. Tango
  16. To Bird
  17. Browning Elway Bevin
  18. Sit Fast Christopher Tye
  19. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square Eric Maschwitz Manning Sherwin
  20. Logic in Transit Khai-Wei Choong

    21. 8 Airs autour du Tango Gustavo Beytelmann

  21. No. 4
  22. No. 6
  23. No. 8

Performers

Where to buy

Old Wine, New Bottles is available for download from the iTunes Music Store.
It's available for streaming through Apple Music.

Old Wine, New Bottles is available as as CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer secure online ordering.

Move CDs can be ordered through music retailers across Australia including Readings.

Product details

List price
$25.00 AUD
Producer
Floyd Williams
Engineer
David Spearritt
Editing
David Spearritt
Mastering
David Spearritt
Release date
2010
Copyright
© 2010 Move Records
Phonogram
℗ 2010 Move Records
Categories
Australian, Baroque, Classical, Jazz
Catalogue number
MD 3337
Alternate catalogue number
MD3337
Barcode
EAN 9314574333725